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The stadium and the surrounding parking lots are projected to cost $634 million. Almost a half-billion dollars of the cost will be provided by South Florida tax dollars. The land where the new, 37,000 seat stadium will stand, the site where the old Orange Bowl used to be, belongs to the City of Miami (another giveaway and part of this great deal -- for the Marlins). Financing experts agree that when all is said and done, and you add the interest and other costs, the stadium will have cost Miami taxpayers almost $2 billion.

He turned a ton of bad contracts into no bad contracts. I'd take five years of rebuilding over five years of underachieving anytime.

The Mets are clearing payroll.

Aren't they?

140 million in 2011 to 90 million this year and less in 2013.

How many bad contracts are going to be on the roster in 2014? They will have Niese, possibly Wright, and possibly Dickey (that accounts for 40 to 50 million dollars in payroll between them and arbitration eligible guys)

The Mets don't need to break this thing down entirely, they could improve drastically if they had owners who would spend.

Only time will tell if it was a reasonable offer, that's a lot of money for speed in a few years.

You can't offer contracts with hindsight.

In context, it was reasonable.

I'm a fan, we're a worse team without him, end of story.

Did they take that money and spend it on the team? no they did not. They took Jose off the team, and lowered payroll by $50M.

So, as a fan I lost out both ways, and do did you.

What he's doing now, what the Marlins did with him, is of no relevance whatsoever, and I see no point in trying to make myself feel better by talking some abstract crap about him getting overpaid.

They don't give out rings for bean counting, they give them out for winning morer baseball games than every other team, every time the Mets play a game of baseball, they have less chance to win it without him on the team and RT at SS.

Tim Lincecum got overpaid this year, Barry Zito gets overpaid every single year, they both got two rings.

Case closed.

You think SFG fans are worrying themselves to sleep about co and so who is getting over paid on their team?

Anyone who thinks this team can win without spending to overcome the total inept of the fools that own this team, is deluding themselves, this is one of the worst organizations in baseball, and by that I mean from Fredo Wilpon down, what this team has proven over decades, is that it is useless at baseball. Useless.

Look at this club, biggest market in the world, and we're less successful than the Oakland A's since 1986. One playoff app in 12 years, one WS app in over 25 years, how many playoff apps have we had since 1986? count 'em on one hand?

This team is ****ing useless at baseball, now suddenly by taking away the ONLY competitive edge we have - MONEY, things are going to be different? by letting our best players walk into FA, salary dumped etc, that all this is going to change, that now a useless baseball organization is going to prosper with a small-market payroll?

That's a fantasy and we all know it, people can try and make themselves feel better by slapping the team on the back for not 'overpaying' a star player, but none of that matters, winning matters.

This is not the NFL, you do not get compensated for being useless to anything like the degree you do in football, you can draft a QB and turn your club on its head within 2 years.

There's no parity in baseball, there's no salary cap, in baseball, you have to be smarter or wealthier than the other guys, there's no way on earth the Mets are gonna outsmart anyone, and without the ability to fill all the holes that the farm will never fill - we're stumped.

I'm a fan, we're a worse team now than we were last year, or the year before, or 6 years on from '06.

People are really getting duped into this 'everything will change in 2014' nonsense.

He turned a ton of bad contracts into no bad contracts. I'd take five years of rebuilding over five years of underachieving anytime.

In five years time, you'll still be talking about rebuilding. This team is going nowhere, they can't afford to pay anyomne, let's say Wheeler becomes the best pitcher in the game - in 5-6 years, are they gonna give him what the market demands? No they are not. And before you know it, we'll be back to square 1, nrever quite having enouigh in the farm or enough money to compete consistently, but we will have an 85 win team, that's always waiting to turn the corner.

This model under these fools is doomed to mediocrity at best, with the occasional '06 thrown in.

Look back at the post '06 years, if they'd have just spent a few mill at the deadlkline, the whole landscape may have been entriely different t now, and they'd have got those few mill back in spades, did they spend? did they ****.

In five years time, you'll still be talking about rebuilding. This team is going nowhere, they can't afford to pay anyomne, let's say Wheeler becomes the best pitcher in the game - in 5-6 years, are they gonna give him what the market demands? No they are not. And before you know it, we'll be back to square 1, nrever quite having enouigh in the farm or enough money to compete consistently, but we will have an 85 win team, that's always waiting to turn the corner.

This model under these fools is doomed to mediocrity at best, with the occasional '06 thrown in.

Look back at the post '06 years, if they'd have just spent a few mill at the deadlkline, the whole landscape may have been entriely different t now, and they'd have got those few mill back in spades, did they spend? did they ****.

Ya gotta believe, but you have to have something to believe in first

I understand you're distrust in ownership and at the FO level but the Mets are clearing payroll of the albatross contracts over the last 3 years (Perez, Castillo, Bay and soon to be Santana).

Now it comes down to spending.

Does that happen? Maybe, maybe not.

I can't ***** at the Mets for wanted to rid themselves of players like those i mentioned and even letting Reyes go (but it should have been by trade and not FA).

It's about moving forward with the pieces they have and if this ownership isn't the one who's gonna spend then MLB needs to intervene (when Selig retires obviously because it won't happen till then) and find one that does.

McFly I Agree 100%

Did they take that money and spend it on the team? no they did not. They took Jose off the team, and lowered payroll by $50M.

So, as a fan I lost out both ways, and do did you.

What he's doing now, what the Marlins did with him, is of no relevance whatsoever, and I see no point in trying to make myself feel better by talking some abstract crap about him getting overpaid.

They don't give out rings for bean counting, they give them out for winning morer baseball games than every other team, every time the Mets play a game of baseball, they have less chance to win it without him on the team and RT at SS.

Tim Lincecum got overpaid this year, Barry Zito gets overpaid every single year, they both got two rings.

Case closed.

You think SFG fans are worrying themselves to sleep about co and so who is getting over paid on their team?

Anyone who thinks this team can win without spending to overcome the total inept of the fools that own this team, is deluding themselves, this is one of the worst organizations in baseball, and by that I mean from Fredo Wilpon down, what this team has proven over decades, is that it is useless at baseball. Useless.

Look at this club, biggest market in the world, and we're less successful than the Oakland A's since 1986. One playoff app in 12 years, one WS app in over 25 years, how many playoff apps have we had since 1986? count 'em on one hand?

This team is ****ing useless at baseball, now suddenly by taking away the ONLY competitive edge we have - MONEY, things are going to be different? by letting our best players walk into FA, salary dumped etc, that all this is going to change, that now a useless baseball organization is going to prosper with a small-market payroll?

That's a fantasy and we all know it, people can try and make themselves feel better by slapping the team on the back for not 'overpaying' a star player, but none of that matters, winning matters.

This is not the NFL, you do not get compensated for being useless to anything like the degree you do in football, you can draft a QB and turn your club on its head within 2 years.

There's no parity in baseball, there's no salary cap, in baseball, you have to be smarter or wealthier than the other guys, there's no way on earth the Mets are gonna outsmart anyone, and without the ability to fill all the holes that the farm will never fill - we're stumped.

I'm a fan, we're a worse team now than we were last year, or the year before, or 6 years on from '06.

People are really getting duped into this 'everything will change in 2014' nonsense.

That sum up all my frustrations with the way the Wilpons run this team. They were greedy and got burned. They are too reckless financially to be baseball owners.

Its Not Just Bad Contracts

I understand you're distrust in ownership and at the FO level but the Mets are clearing payroll of the albatross contracts over the last 3 years (Perez, Castillo, Bay and soon to be Santana).

Now it comes down to spending.

Does that happen? Maybe, maybe not.

I can't ***** at the Mets for wanted to rid themselves of players like those i mentioned and even letting Reyes go (but it should have been by trade and not FA).

It's about moving forward with the pieces they have and if this ownership isn't the one who's gonna spend then MLB needs to intervene (when Selig retires obviously because it won't happen till then) and find one that does.

Till then we are 75 win team or worse.

Its the direction of the whole franchise. Every team has bad contracts but you bringing up Castillo and Perez that was 3 years ago that they have left. What have they done first with the savings and second to improve the team? It doesn't matter how much savings they have they are not doing anything to improve the team just signing pieces to fill roster spots. We have terrible talent throughout the whole minor league system and this last draft certainly didn't help. So let me ask are the Mets now drafting and or avoiding International players because of money? They had so many holes to fill and they drafted some light hitting SS at 12. Courtney Hawkins went 1 pick later already been promoted twice. If you wanted a better SS Cory Seager drafted at 18 knocking the cover off the ball with power.

Its the direction of the whole franchise. Every team has bad contracts but you bringing up Castillo and Perez that was 3 years ago that they have left. What have they done first with the savings and second to improve the team? It doesn't matter how much savings they have they are not doing anything to improve the team just signing pieces to fill roster spots. We have terrible talent throughout the whole minor league system and this last draft certainly didn't help. So let me ask are the Mets now drafting and or avoiding International players because of money? They had so many holes to fill and they drafted some light hitting SS at 12. Courtney Hawkins went 1 pick later already been promoted twice. If you wanted a better SS Cory Seager drafted at 18 knocking the cover off the ball with power.

We've had the Courtney Hawkins argument before, you don't draft for needs 1 or 2 years down the road. Cecchini's pick was made because finding .750 OPS SS who plays good defense are incredibly more difficult to find that .800-850 OPS OF which come a dime a dozen in FA and in the trade market.

As for development all these guys are 18 years old and Cecchini was the most polished of the 3.

Could it be a bad pick? Of course it could but predicting that is way too premature when these kids are so early in their development.

While Seager has played shortstop and second base throughout high school, scouts project him to move over to third base as a pro because of his large frame. At third, he could use his size to add muscle that would help him hit for power behind the plate.

The Mets have a 3rd baseman obviously and 3rd base prospects as well (Rodriguez, Flores, etc)

As for ownership, again we will see what happens in 2014. I am not a Wilpon apologist but these are the circumstances we are dealt with and there is little we can do about it.

Hopefully if they don't spend in 2014, the next commissioner has enough sense to realize they are ruining what could be a great franchise.

I understand you're distrust in ownership and at the FO level but the Mets are clearing payroll of the albatross contracts over the last 3 years (Perez, Castillo, Bay and soon to be Santana).

Now it comes down to spending.

Does that happen? Maybe, maybe not.

I can't ***** at the Mets for wanted to rid themselves of players like those i mentioned and even letting Reyes go (but it should have been by trade and not FA).

It's about moving forward with the pieces they have and if this ownership isn't the one who's gonna spend then MLB needs to intervene (when Selig retires obviously because it won't happen till then) and find one that does.

Till then we are 75 win team or worse.

It's not about that though, or anything else for that matter, it's about the Coupons keeping hold of the team at all costs, at all costs to the fans and all costs to the city, and even at the cost of the league.

They haven't invested a cent in this team for 3 years. In fact they have cut payroll by historic amounts, and despite that they will not spend another dime again this year.

You know what a think about 2014, it's just more BS designed to keep the wolves at bay for another year, people have bought into the outright lie, that two contracts prevents a huge market team from doing anything whatsoever.

Two contracts shouldn't be holding up any big-market team, they haven't got any money, that's the problem, not Jason Bay and JS.

They have ditched big contracts left right and centre and have not reinvested a dime, Jose, Beltran, KROD, they sold BW for $3M, OP, Castillo et al

Its the direction of the whole franchise. Every team has bad contracts but you bringing up Castillo and Perez that was 3 years ago that they have left. What have they done first with the savings and second to improve the team? It doesn't matter how much savings they have they are not doing anything to improve the team just signing pieces to fill roster spots. We have terrible talent throughout the whole minor league system and this last draft certainly didn't help. So let me ask are the Mets now drafting and or avoiding International players because of money? They had so many holes to fill and they drafted some light hitting SS at 12. Courtney Hawkins went 1 pick later already been promoted twice. If you wanted a better SS Cory Seager drafted at 18 knocking the cover off the ball with power.